Dream and Nightmare
by RhiannonDragonseeker
Summary: Lara used to be a human that stood with mutants, then she became one. She isn't the best at using her powers, as all young mutants are. Yet, she must overcome the natural restrictions on her abilities, learn what she truly stands for, and more. A number of well known X-Men and Brotherhood mutants appear, as well as many new ones.(Rating may change over time from Teen to Mature)
1. Powers Awakened

**This story does not take place in an established X-Men timeline. It takes place in its own universe, which we can call FanEarth 001.**

* * *

"Look, it's the mutant lover!" said one boy as a girl walked in.

Lara Marko held her books over her chest in defense. Her auburn hair fell into her fear-filled eyes. The high school student was known to speak out for mutant rights, making her a target for many of her peers. However, she could not help but admire the mutants known as the X-Men. They fought other mutants, friends and family alike, and they don't let the voices of the haters affect them. She doesn't know most of their true identities, but that didn't matter to her, because she was happy supporting them from the sidelines.

However, that didn't mean she just walked up to every mutant she saw. She had learned from being a witness to a recent mutant battle that not all mutants are good, or safe. Lara's mother, Helen, would tell her of a sad encounter with a mutant she had. Helen said that, as a woman barely out of high school herself, she had met a young soldier named Cain Marko. They had the kind of relationship written about in romance novels and in movies, but when she revealed she was pregnant, Cain denied Helen everything as he shipped off to war, never looking back. His step-brother, Charles Xavier, told her to go stay at his house and care for it until he returned. Helen accepted as she had no family that would care for her, claiming she was a common slut.

While the war raged, Lara was born. It was on Lara's first birthday that Juggernaut would appear. Helen knew by the eyes of the mutant on the television that he was her beloved Cain. Charles came to Helen after Juggernaut seemed to have disappeared for a time, saying that Lara and Helen should remain at the school until there came a time that Cain could not harm them as he was still at large. Charles felt that, should Cain learn he had a daughter, Cain would attempt to either give the infant to Erik Lehnsherr or worse. After much time, Helen agreed, and she and Lara stay at the School for Gifted Mutants for many years before moving to St. Louis for a "normal" life. With Juggernaut seeming to have disappeared off the face of the Earth, he was almost forgotten by humans, except as a warning on why they should run from mutants.

And here was Lara, a modern teen, suffering from modern problems, and her mother only said that it would get easier. How could Lara say she wanted to disappear, to go into hiding, to join the mutants, or even just find her father and ask why? Helen would simply guilt trip her into apologizing, and with her Uncle Charles and beloved X-Men thousands of miles away, Lara felt alone. Uncle Charles was part of the reason Lara sympathized with the mutants. He never talked about them as monsters, but as a new form of a human. Lara had adopted that outlook. She knew her beloved uncle was a mutant, the famous Prof. X himself. And the others treated her like a little sister. They were a family. Helen didn't mind her playing with the mutants… as long as their powers were benign. As Lara grew older, however, all powers were too much for Helen and they moved out of the mansion Lara had always called home. All so Lara could go to a "normal" school with "normal" kids. The real reason was that Helen feared Lara turning into a mutant, as far as Lara knew.

In all honesty, Lara wished for that. She **wanted** to be a mutant more than anything and return to the home she loved. But as her first year of high school was approaching, Lara feared that the window for her powers to awaken was fast closing.

"Hey, mutant lover!" said the boy, hitting Lara with a wad of paper. "What freak did you shack up with today?"

The class erupted into laughter before everyone started listing off mutants they had seen on TV, each more disgusting than the last. Lara ran from the room as the teacher ignored the whole event. She locked herself in the bathroom, her dark clothes blending into the shadows perfectly as she sat in the corner, crying. She hadn't expected the teacher to help, or to even come looking for her. She was a known mutant supporter, and everyone in the school only really remembered one mutant: Juggernaut. Her father. What more would they do if they learned that she is the daughter of the man that nearly destroyed half the city?

"Hey there, kiddo," said a familiar voice.

Lara's sapphire eyes looked up, shocked to hear Scott's voice in the girl's restroom, but tears ran in rivers when she realized, she had made up the voice in her head, having hand imagined him talking to her. She curled up into a ball and ignored the bell for class. The teacher, Ms. Wretche, came in and called her to class, and Lara reluctantly followed.

* * *

Charles Xavier exited Cerebro. His step-niece, Lara, was showing signs of X-Gene activity. This worried him as things were complicated. Erik seemed to be increasing his attacks on humans, but his purpose was unknown. Still, the presence of Lara within Cerebro both astounded and worried Charles. But it was what he learned of her powers while there that worried him more.

"Professor!" said Scott, taking hold of Charles' shoulder. "Didn't you hear me calling?"

"Forgive me, Scott, but Lara suddenly appeared in Cerebro with an activated X-Gene," said the professor, worry in his voice as they rode the elevator to the hanger.

"Isn't that a good thing?" asked Scott. "She will be coming home, and we can bring Helen back as well. Not having them here for the last ten years has been hard. Jean thought of Lara as a younger sister. We all did."

"I have never regretted allowing them to stay here. It was good to have people without mutant abilities here despite the dangers, but I fear that Helen will not be so accepting of us all appearing on her doorstep to reclaim Lara. That's how she will view it, as us attempting to take Lara from her and turn her mutant. Or worse, that Lara growing with mutants was a mistake and that would Lara have been normal if she had never agreed to live in this house. I viewed Helen as a sister because, like me, she cared for Cain even as he rejected both of us."

"We understood why they were the only non-mutants at the school, Professor. We felt that growing up with us, Lara got a view that would aid our cause in the future because she had been around mutants her whole life and knew the dangers. She would be an advocate for human-mutant relations. But if she is a mutant, even Helen will want her here. Perhaps Jean and I should go talk to Helen, and having you there will help."

"I will go in alone, but I do want you and Jean there to wait for the bus. Lara was just bullied for her views. I singled out her mind to keep an eye on her from afar from time to time. I look after her, but today, it was particularly hard. She brought your voice into reality. Her imagination is strong and until she is fully tested, we won't know the true extent of her abilities."

"If that's true, and she can use her imagination, she would be the first mutant to have imagination manipulation. That's an ability only dreamed up in books and TV shows."

"Yes, and once her ability is out for the public to see, they will remove that from such material, if possible. That brings us to another problem. Her mind."

"What about it?"

"Due to her environment, she is a loner. She always enjoyed sitting by herself and simply watching everyone practice their abilities. She rarely played with the other children, even here at the mansion. I fear that she may suffer from depression and low self-esteem as well. We must consider these factors when testing her. I have informed Jean of this and she is waiting for us in the hanger as we speak."

"And if Helen tries to stop Lara from coming home?"

"That is what I worry about, second only to Erik finding out about her powers."

The elevator opened and the two men made their way to the X-Jet. Jean stepped in line next to them.

"You think that he is heading to St. Louis to not only find young mutants but her specifically?" Jean asked.

"I have seen her appear as a mutant several times, only to disappear among the humans," confided Charles. "This usually means that the X-Gene is trying to awaken, but can't, but there are times where the mutant simply shuts the gene off. I believed that Lara was trying to hard to fit in, that she was doing the latter, but I see now that her ability was trying to awaken due to her need for protection. Today, it appeared that the bullying for her siding with mutants was too much for her and it awakened."

"I still remember her following me around like a little duckling," said Scott, remembering the five-year-old Lara following him when he was a teen. "Didn't you say she manifested my voice?"

"I did," said the professor. "She always was drawn to you. I believe that, because you must always wear ruby-quartz glasses, she believed you were somewhat of an outcast."

"Because I can't control my ability like the others," Scott said in agreement. "Some can walk down the street normally, but if I happen to take my shades off, anyone could be hurt. I will admit, in the beginning, I did feel like an outcast, but I soon learned that no one judged me for it, and were very accepting of it. Lara will come to feel that as well. But when her and Helen moved in officially, that feeling of animosity was long gone. I know that Jean and I can help Lara, given enough time."

They all strapped in and began to take off in the jet as Charles said, "My concern is why Magneto is going after her. St. Louis has indeed been attacked several times in the past few months, but it has always been by low-level mutants. Before I could issue an order to go to them, Magneto had already been there."

"Did her ability shut back off?" asked Jean. "Is that why you left Cerebro?"

"No, that is not why, though her X-Gene was going dormant once more," said Charles. "I want to get to Lara first. With her upset, Erik would not have a hard time recruiting her to the Brotherhood. With the speed in which Magneto is recruiting the children, I am worried. He may have built a copy of Cerebro and has a telepath finding the mutants for him. If that is the case, we may already be too late."

* * *

Erik Lehnsherr looked down upon St. Louis. Such a ripe city full of young mutants. It would appear as if the Gateway to the West also awoke the X-Gene within the children there. New members to his family, the Brotherhood of Mutants.

"Three more to the west," said the first of his many new recruits, Soul Reader.

He used Soul Reader to find mutants as their powers fully awaken. She was like a walking Cerebro, although she could never get a real feel for the young mutant-like Charles when he used Cerebro. She even distinguished between mutants born with the X-Gene and mutates, or people whose ability is not natural but awoken through radiation, drugs, etc. Personally, Erik didn't care how the members of the Brotherhood got their abilities, simply that they were all apart of the highly evolved _Homo-Superior_ species.

"There was another blip from the girl to the north," said Soul Reader. "Stronger this time, but still not awakened fully. Shall we have a telepath influence her classmates or wait?"

"We wait," said Magneto. "If we force her powers to awaken too soon, it could kill her. I have Mystique watching her. I have learned her name is Lara Marko. I believe she is related to Juggernaut." He was not surprised when he saw his right-hand woman meeting them on the rooftop of the hotel near the Arch. "Any news?"

"She has spent time with the X-Men," she said, "proving she is the daughter of Juggernaut. She manifested Cyclops' voice before I summoned her to class."

"So her powers are finally awakening," he said.

"She can use her imagination to manifest sound, at the very least," said Mystic as she changed from her Ms. Wretche disguise to her true blue form. "If her ability fully awakens, she could be an Omega level. But the jeers from the _Homo sapiens_ are doing their job. They have made her an outcast, and this weighs heavily on her mind."

"I cannot accept her as she is, with a defective X-Gene," said Erik. "For all we know, she isn't a mutant, but a human being used to bait us. Charles knows we are here. If she were used as a trap, then when I awaken Juggernaut from his frozen tomb, he will want to bring his daughter to us for protection and for me to awaken her X-Gene. At this time, I cannot do that, but it will not take much for her to awaken so that we can welcome her to the family."

"I can't wait for that day," said Mystic. "I'm tired of teaching humans."

"I know, my dear," said Magneto before he saw the X-Jet fly into the city. "It seems we have company. We may have to acquire Miss Marko early than planned."

The Brotherhood began to make their way towards Lara. If the X-Men thought they were getting the daughter of Cain Marko, they were sorely mistaken.

* * *

Charles knocked on the door to an apartment. In such a large city, he was surprised Helen and Lara were staying in low-income housing. The door opened and Helen, as beautiful as he remembered, answered the door.

"Charles," she said, tears forming. "You have come to take her."

"Her X-Gene is awakening," he said.

"I know," said Helen. "It has been like that since the start of the school year. Everyone has become crueler to her. To us. No one lives next to us, they talk about us. Her dreams… they appear almost nightly now. Such visions… I was going to call you when the school year ended."

"I do not want to separate the two of you. She will need you."

"I will not stay at the school. I will move to New York and work there, but I want her to be like the others around her, a regular student. That's all I wanted."

"I know. I also know why you are crying."

"I blamed you at first," she said with an understanding, yet apologetic, nod. "It was natural, but as time went on, and I was able to watch more and more of her dreams, memories of the day, playing out and I realized the truth. I could not help her, and her mind was only trying to protect her. It was the same with all of your students. I saw the signs, but every method I used to soothe the students at your school do not work on my Lara."

"May I come in and talk?"

Helen moved aside and shut the door as the school bus stopped to let children off.

The other children pulled her hair, tripped her, did everything they could to mess with Lara as she walked down the aisle. The bus driver purposely put her at the back of the bus just to laugh when someone succeeded in humiliating her. She was almost off when a boy that got off with her pulled on her shirt, ripping it. He laughed as her midriff was now exposed.

"I bet that wasn't the first time you had someone rip your shirt off, right, mutant lover?" he jeered.

Everyone laughed as she ran off the bus, trying to hide her tears. She was looking down when a pair of arms wrapped around her. A woman. Red hair. Not her mother's hair. Her mother always let her make her own way home, thinking Lara needed to stand on her own as a high schooler, but this show of solidarity… it nearly broke her. Yet, she needed this feeling more than anything, even if it was her imagination.

"Young men should treat young women with respect," said a familiar voice. "Especially this young woman."

Lara sucked in her breath. She didn't dare look up at the woman holding her, too afraid to hope. Afraid her dream would be crushed. Slowly, she lifted her head but stopped as her bully began speaking.

"You do know she is a mutant lover, right?" he asked as he and three others got off the bus. "She supports those freaks."

"I know exactly who Lara Marko is," said the voice she had longed to hear for so long. "A kind young woman who would stand up for anyone of you despite the bullying. She would defend all of you against any mutant that would think to attack you. That's who she is."

Lara finished looking up as she heard the four kids walk away, and began crying as she asked in a soft voice, "Jean?"

Jean nodded and the two women hugged tightly.

"Hey there, kiddo," Scott said, drawing Lara's attention. "Sorry, but I had to step in. No woman should be treated like that, no matter their views."

Lara turned around and nearly launched herself at Scott, the man who was more of her big brother than anyone else. He stumbled back with the force of the blow but managed to regain his footing and hugged her as Lara cried into his chest. He led her to a bench so that she could sit down. Jean sat on the other side of Lara, patting her back.

When she had calmed down, she looked up and asked, "This is real, right? Why are you here?"

Scott said, "We are very real, Lara. And we are here to take you home."

"You mean, I'm…" Lara said, not quite believing, too afraid to hope.

"That's right, Lala," said Jean. "But your ability hasn't quite awake. We are going to see if we can take you back to the Xavier School, but we can at least keep Magneto from getting to you."

Lara nodded. Suddenly, Scott stood up and put his hand to his glasses. Lara looked up and watched as Magneto himself appeared, followed by many of the Brotherhood. Lara stayed on the bench as Jean also stood, but kept hold of Lara's hand to run with her if need be.

"Hello, Miss Marko," said Magneto. "We have come to take you to your father."

Lara gripped Jean, saying, "And if I don't want to go?"

"Then, we would have to bring him to you," said Magneto. "But that won't be fun."

Lara's heart began pounding, causing Soul Reader to say, "Her X-Gene is awakening."

Magneto smiled and said, "Ah, I see. Well, I suppose we could bring Juggernaut here, but what would he do to the daughter who denies him?"

Lara let go of Jean and tried to move away from Scott and Jean. She wanted to run, but the door to her apartment opened, and her mother and Charles exited.

"Erik, this is not the time or place for such a confrontation," Charles said. "We do not know her full power."

"Uncle Charles," Lara whispered, fear coursing through her.

_Calm down, Lara,_ Charles said into her mind, causing Lara to cup her head. _We won't let anything happen._

"But if she doesn't come with us, we will have to bring Juggernaut here," said Magneto. "And all destruction would be on her shoulders."

Lara closed her eyes. Charles told Jean and Scott to get away from Lara with his mind and they moved back. The thought of so many people getting hurt because of her caused her mind to race with images of how to get rid of Magneto. If he went away, then she could go to the X-Mansion and live happily with her uncle and the X-Men. But Magneto had to go away.

"Magneto, perhaps this was not a good idea," said Soul Reader.

Lara opened her eyes and optic beams hit Magneto before he raised a manhole cover to block the beam. Lara closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, only to have her normal sapphire eyes. Scott ran to her.

"What did I just do?" Lara asked in shock.

"Optic blasts, like mine," he said. "You used your mind to imagine a power to defend yourself."

"Rather strong blasts," said Magneto. "Your father would be proud."

Lara wanted Magneto gone more than anything. If what Scott said was true, she could do this. Holding Scott's hand for support, she took a deep breath and imagined having Magneto's power, manipulating magnetic fields. She glared at the mutant trying to take her away, she raised her hand and disrupted the field that he used, sending him flying through the air, back from where he came. Lara put her hand down, swaying. She wasn't used to using such powers, so she suddenly felt exhausted. Scott held her until he could sit her down.

"I want to go home," Lara said. "To New York."

"Alright," said Helen. "We will go back to New York. You will go to Charles' school and I will live nearby, so when you need me, I will be there."

"Okay," Lara said.

Jean lifted her up so that Lara could sleep on her way to the Xavier School. Helen held her daughter's hand the whole ride, and everyone kept looking back to see if she was alright.


	2. Training

**This chapter takes place two years after the first. We get introduced to new characters and learn about Lara's views a bit more.**

* * *

"Alright, possible recruits," said Cyclops over the PA, "time for your first test to see if you can join the X-Men. None of you have worked together, or know what powers the others have. You need to work together to reach the goal. If one of you is left behind, all of you are left behind. Good luck."

The walls in the danger room began to dropdown. Lara, using the alias Dream, stood in the audition uniform. She wasn't sure she could actually work with anyone, or be an X-Man, but she was determined to try. When the walls finally revealed her teammates, it revealed Stretch (a mutant with an elastic body), Flare (a mutant that had the ability to create wings made of pure flame and resistance to fire), and Ting-Ting (a mutant that could produce metal shields and projectiles). She had learned about the other possible recruits from the database, but that didn't mean she knew them or their powers. Without any security clearance, all she got were their code names and genders. Not even a picture of their faces.

"Begin!" said Scott.

Just like a video game, a timer was set where they could see it as the danger room took on a damaged city. There were explosions as a Sentinel appeared.

"What do we do?" asked Ting-Ting, crafting a shield for herself.

"Fight!" said Flare as he sprouted wings and flew into the sky.

"What do you think, Dream?" asked Stretch, looking at Lara with concern in his eyes.

"We let Flare do what he is doing," Lara suggested. "That can be our distraction. I'll use telepathy to create a path, but Ting-Ting will go with you in case anything gets through. Stretch, wrap yourself around this thing's legs to bring him down. If we get him to the ground, we stand a chance. Flare's fire wings are hot enough to melt metal, so we can sever the head with them."

Scott and Charles watched the four kids as they agreed, though they didn't include Flare in the plan. The professor was proud of the plan Lara implemented. Scott was proud as well, believing that Lara could lead the secondary team of X-Men, a group of mutants that would stay behind and protect the school. Still, both men shared a similar feeling: Lara's true test was this right here.

Lara took a breath and imagined keeping things from her teammates with telepathy. Stretch and Ting-Ting began running. Flare, seeing them, thought about stopping them but noticed what Lara was doing. He kept distracting the Sentinel until…

"I'm caught!" he said in pain as the Sentinel grabbed him.

"Use your fire wings!" said Ting-Ting, deflecting debris as Lara's concentration began to break.

"I can't! My wings can't reach his wrist!" Flare said.

Stretch started wrapping around the robot's legs, but the going was slow. Lara's heart started pounding. An explosion sounded near her, followed shortly by one near Ting-Ting. Lara saw Ting-Ting put a shield up to keep fiery debris from hitting her.

"Dream, use your telekinesis to pry open the Sentinel's hand!" Stretch said, slowly tightening around the Sentinel's legs as he dodged the second hand.

"R-right!" Lara said, getting closer for a better view.

Scott sighed as he watched Lara begin to struggle and said, "It was a good plan, and Flare caught on to his role fast. She is good at planning until something unaccounted for happens."

"I remember another young mutant who had the same problem at first," commented Charles.

"She would make a good leader, but her insecurities…" Cyclops started.

"Will take time to overcome," said the professor. "Confidence is difficult to rebuild once destroyed. You know this better than anyone. You are confident in your abilities to lead because of your friends, and you learned that failure isn't a bad thing, but showing you need to grow and learn. She will learn this in time. For now, this is good for all of them. Jake tends to go off without thinking, Blake reacts slowly as he waits for orders instead of acting when time is of the essence, and Mai reacts fast but often leaves her team open to attack. Lara has insecurities and gets distracted. They all have weaknesses, but they also have strengths. Like the other three groups of possible X-Men, they all have ways to strengthen each other. They just have to find it."

"Well, Lara seems to be a natural leader," said Scott. "Something the Beta Team will need."

Lara watched as Flare exclaimed in pain, starting to turn blue and the flames that made up his wings started to go out. On top of that, the timer for the clock was now showing they have little to no time left. Lara decided that telepathy wouldn't work, but she didn't have time to imagine anything else. _They are all counting on me_, she thought to herself. _If I can't free Flare, then Ting-Ting will be bombarded with debris and Stretch won't be able to bring down the Sentinel. Come on, open already!_

Then, the timer ran out. Flare's wings were near non-existent, and Lara had was able to catch him. Ting-Ting and Stretch went to him as Scott and Charles entered the room. Lara stayed back.

"That was a good effort," said Charles, "but you didn't work together effectively. You panicked when Flare was caught. He couldn't draw in a breath, though he could have easily. Because of this, Dream panicked because her plan was failing. Ting-Ting wasn't protecting Stretch, who had to dodge debris instead of bringing down the Sentinel."

"Flare, take a breath," said Scott. "There were safety measures on and they wouldn't have caused you to get this bad. You panicked when you should have been calm. You could have easily gotten free if you had looked. This was an easy level, despite the size of the opponent. None of our potential recruits managed to take down the Sentinel to get the chip in its head and bring back to the X-Jet."

Lara wrapped her arms around herself. She couldn't hold back the tears as she thought, _He's wrong. Panicking because of a Sentinel grabbing you is normal. If I hadn't panicked, Flare could have been saved, and he wouldn't be this bad. This is my fault. My team got hurt because of me._

"Dream, a team means all share blame and reward," said Charles. "Do not take all of this on yourself."

"I'm fine, professor," she said, using his alias name. "Just a normal day of training, right?"

Lara walked out of the room. Scott and Charles looked after her, worry on their faces. Charles stayed with the other three and told them how their team did get closest to the goal as Flare woke up. Scott, meanwhile, went after Lara. Lara made her way to what she thought was a deserted hallway, unaware that she was followed. She sat down in a dark corner and put her head on her knees, crying.

"Hey there, kiddo," said Scott, sitting next to her as best as he could. "Talk to me."

"I failed," Lara said. "I started leading, seeing a weak spot on the legs. The robot was huge. Walking would have been difficult. But Flare got caught, nearly suffocated, because I didn't think to tell him to wait, to tell him my plan, or even that he would be in danger."

"Your plan didn't fail, Lara. It was a decent plan, considering it was an easy level of a difficult situation. He panicked when the Sentinel grabbed him. That lead to a domino effect."

"I still failed. It was my plan. If I hadn't jumped up to be leader…"

"You wouldn't have gotten closer to the goal than any other team," finished Scott. "My first simulated attack, my team failed miserably. But, like you, I blamed my plan and myself. The truth is, leader or not, there will always be an unknown factor, whether it is an outside force or not. You can't control your team, and there will be times you lose members. It is our job as leaders to be the ones to keep our team moving forward. Our mission must be finished, or more people could be hurt. But that feeling of loss, pain, guilt, it won't go away if you bottle it up like this. Flare is fine. He was in no real danger. Fear is something everyone must face when on missions, and as leaders, our greatest fear is failing our team and losing one or more of them. Your team did well, and with more training, you will learn to think under pressure. Your past causes you to panic when things don't go to plan the first time, and that's okay. Everyone here will help you overcome that, and you will be better for it. Just go at your own pace. I know it's been two years since you first came here, and you showed some amazing skill. As a Beta Level Mutant, you are strong and formidable."

"That didn't help my team today. I lost my concentration. Telekinesis didn't work, Scott. I should have switched to your optic blast faster, but there were explosions, Flare was passing out, Ting-Ting and Stretch were being hit with debris, the timer was ticking down fast… there was too much going on to concentrate!"

"I know. That was the real point of this test, and all four of you did really well. There was the pressure of a deadline, things happening to break concentration, and people who have never worked together being forced to pair up. All these things can happen in the field. All in all, you would have at least distracted the Sentinel for my team to help out. That is something. If you train more, you will soon not have to be a distraction, but a real force. The Professor is talking to your team now, and you four may be the first of the Beta Team. All of those in the other teams just need a bit more training than your team, but we hope they will join the Beta Team with you, but we need you four trained first"

"The X Twos?" Lara asked, looking up fast enough to hit her head in shock, causing her to cup the back of her head in pain. "For real?!"

"Yeah, and making you leader," said Scott, nodding. "I agree with the notion, but you still need practice. Your gem in your tiara is more than for looks."

"I know. It helps to keep my powers a conscious action so that my logic keeps hold of my powers and not my overactive imagination. I didn't even know Sapphire-Quartz existed. It kind of scares me that there are types of crystals out there that can stop or neutralize our powers, but I'm glad for them. People like you and I would be in real trouble without them." She imagined her tiara turning back into a metal headband. "I guess I should go back."

"I'll walk with you. And you are right, we would be in trouble if not for your gem and my visor. You would be hunted like an animal because of the creatures you envision and I would have to keep my eyes closed, pretending to be blind all the time. I like at least seeing what's around me, even if it is tinted red."

Lara and Scott stood up and began walking back to the Danger Room. They walked in and Lara stopped as her team looked at her. She suddenly felt as if they were thinking the same things as her, but she didn't know what to say.

"Jake, Blake, and Mai want to say something, Lara," said Charles. "I think it is a good time to officially meet."

Stretch stepped forward and said, "I'm Blake Longfellow. Nice to meet you, Lara."

"I'm Mai Honda," said Ting-Ting. "_Kon'nichiwa_."

"I'm Jake Ashton, pop star sensation," said Flare. "Just, don't touch me, please. I have a thing about... um... germs."

"I'm Lara Marko," she said, shyly waving them.

"Marko?" asked Blake. "As in Juggernaut?"

"Um… yeah," said Lara, her heart pounding. "He's my birth father."

"You must be strong," said Mai, when no one else spoke up.

"Only if I imagine myself to be," Lara said. "My ability is Imagination Manipulation. If I imagine it, I can do it. That's why I have a Sapphire-Quartz in my headband. It subdues the subconscious part of my mind so that we aren't rebuilding half of the school every night."

Mai laughed as she and Stretch went to Lara. Jake, however, stayed back, looking embarrassed. Lara misread it as fear over her father.

"Jake, I know it's not easy to talk to the daughter of Juggernaut," Lara started. "Most people hear my last name and walk away. That and I failed you guys in the simulations by not thinking fast enough, so..."

"I failed," interrupted Jake. "Your parentage means nothing to any of us. Blake and Mai came from crime families, and my family is famous. So your father is a mutant that rampages like an ancient berserker? Could be worse. No, I failed. I didn't wait for a plan to be formed, I got myself caught by the robot from hell, and I panicked to the point of hyperventilating and passing out. Like I said, germs. This was on me. You are a good leader, and the three of us agree that we would follow you into battle."

"Besides, I didn't constrict fast enough to prevent Jake from being grabbed," said Blake.

"And I didn't think about making more than a one-arm shield for myself," said Mai. "Though, I doubt I blame any of you guys, just myself."

They all nodded in agreement before Lara smiled and said, "Okay, so we all feel we failed each other, and we don't believe the others failed at all. Okay, so let's all get to know each other and train harder together."

"I can agree to that," said Blake.

"_Hai_," said Mai. "I do as well."

"Okay," said Jake after a while.

"Good," said Charles. "You will be the first four under the guidance of another X-Man. He isn't here at this time, so training will be essential. For now, an hour a day in the Danger Room will suffice. Also, Jake and Blake will start sharing a room to, as will Mai and Lara. From this day forward, you are X-Men Beta Team."

Lara said, "Excuse me, Uncle Charles, but I think X-Twos sounds better."

Charles laughed and said, "Alright, X-Twos, then."

"Does this mean we aren't good enough for the real team?" asked Jake. "Because I signed on to this school for the real team."

Instead of Scott or Charles saying anything, Lara turned to him and said, "We are part of the real X-Men, Jake. We are back-up, the rescue team, the second line of defense. If Scott's team is busy or far too injured, we step up and take the missions. As our man of flight, you will be taught how to pilot the X-Jet alongside me, if I remain leader, though all of us will know how in case of an emergency. This isn't us not being as good or experienced as Scott's team, but that we are on their level and a separate team from them. At times, one or more of us may even join Scott on his missions to get a feel for the real thing. Maybe even all of us. We are just newer, that's all."

"Okay," said Jake, after a moment. "Since you put it like that, I guess I can let the Beta tag stay."

"Good," said Scott. "Now, go get some rest. Your training as X-Men starts tomorrow."


	3. Family Ties

Lara, Jake, Blake, and Mai walked down the hall in their training suits, talking excitedly. Many other students looked at them with envy, but then there was Bruce, who everyone called Brute for more than just his strength-based mutation. He was a straight-up bully. He and his gang of friends stopped the four in the hall as they neared the elevator. All sense of mirth was gone.

"You think you guys won on skill, but we know the truth," said Brute. "If it wasn't for Bad Dream here, none of you other weaklings would be on the team!"

"Just because the professor is my uncle doesn't mean he takes it easy on me," said Lara, not afraid of Brute but insecure due to the number of people around her. "I had to work harder than others because he is my uncle."

"That's a bunch of bull!" said Shiki, whose real name was Willow. "You are a teacher's pet and now you get handed a spot on the X-Men while the rest of us have to fight our way to the top."

"Shiki, I…" Lara looked at her former roommate.

"Stop!" Willow said, her Will-o'-Wisps appearing. "I know it's true!"

Lara looked down. Humans were more intimidating than these bruisers, but that didn't mean that Lara's first friend in the Xavier School coming to hate her didn't hurt. Jake stepped up and put Lara behind him.

"Listen, we have training to do," he said. "I'm sure, once we get officially put onto the X-Men, Lara will vouch for some of you. Your strength alone is formidable."

"I bet only Bad Dream will get in," said Brute. "And your three weaklings will be left in the dust with the rest of us normal mutants."

"We are a team, Brute," said Blake. "If even one of us fails, then we all fail."

"Hai, a family," said Mai, taking Lara's hand. "Even if that was Lara's goal, Prof. X told us three that she would be held back if even one of us doesn't make, meaning Lara wouldn't make it either."

"If you had worked with your team, you would have made it," said Jake. "In six months, there will be a secondary tryout. If you can work with your team, you will be added to the X Twos roster. Until then, work on your jealousy and temper."

"You think because you have a job as a pop star that you are hot stuff, but we all know better!" said Brute. "You are just a wimp with a fancy title!"

"And wings," said Jake. "They tend to burn scum away."

Brute pulled back his fist, causing Lara to step between the two, trying to put up a forcefield between then, but she reacted a little too late. She caught the hit as a surprised Brute stopped his momentum enough to not hurt Lara too much, but there would be a sizable bruise.

Just as Lara went flying towards the elevator, a rough-looking man in jeans, a white tee, and a leather jacket walked out. He caught Lara and sat her on the ground.

"Hey, bub," said the man in a gruff voice. "Don't you know it's rude to hit a lady?"

"She got between us," said Brute, "and I tried to slow down, but I was already moving! I'm sorry, Mr. Logan!"

Lara's eyes got big. She tried to stand up, but she fell back down, seeing stars. Her friends and team went to her, to see if she was okay. She held up her hand, saying she was alright, but allowed Mai to help her stand.

"I'm fine," said Lara. "I have to get used to getting hit if I'm going to be part of the X-Men."

"Girly, half your face looks like it's a plum," said Logan. "If you think that is how you toughen up, you are going to be in for a rough ride. You are not the type to be on the front lines."

"I can fight, Mr. Logan," said Lara, wanting to sound tough, but sounding scared. "I just never been caught off guard. Combat classes here don't exactly teach you how to react when you walk into the punch."

Logan smiled and said, "That's because you dodge punches, not walk into them."

"I said I can fight, not move fast," Lara said, smiling back.

"About time you showed up," said Scott behind them, who then saw Lara. "What happened, kiddo?"

"Nothing, Scott," said Lara. "An accident. Brute was sharing his feelings and views, while Jake was defending ours, and I got between them."

"Lara, you can't go to training with one eye swollen shut," said Scott. "Your first day of being X-Men Recruits, and you already have to call off training." He put her arm over his shoulder as Mai had control of the other one. "Bruce, this is the third time you have tried to bully other students this week. The professor is waiting for you and your friends." He looked at Logan. "He wants to talk to you as well, so escort them, would you?"

"Sure," said Logan. "I'll change their diapers while I'm at it."

"Finally getting what your job is," retorted Scott as he led a dizzy Lara to the elevator, followed by Jake, Blake, and Mai.

Lara giggled as the door closed and said, "You respect him."

"He keeps trying to take Jean from me, Lara," said Scott, looking upset.

"You respect him as a teammate and warrior," said Lara. "You maybe even envy how he can just drop everything and go where he wants, but you can't as leader of the X-Men."

"When did you get your psychology degree?" joked Scott as they all exited the elevator.

"The day I saw you falling in love with Jean," said Lara. "A blind man could have seen it. I'm glad I'm not like that."

"You are a junior in high school," said Scott. "Have fun avoiding that." The infirmary doors opened. "Hank, can you take a look. I want to know how it will affect her."

"The swelling will go down, but taking some…" the blue, furry man started after a short glance. "Good lord! This child is lucky to not be knocked out!"

"Mark of a hero, doc," said Jake, rubbing the back of his head. "The punch had more force originally and was aimed at me. If Lara hadn't stepped between us, I'd have more than just a bruised face."

"I see," said Hank McCoy, whom everyone called Beast. "And the other young man was surprised, but still managed to do this?"

"Yes," said Lara. "His mutant ability is super strength and he uses that to bully people. Can I sit? I feel sick."

"Dizzy, no doubt," said Hank as he led them to a bed. "Lay down, but don't go to sleep. You may have a concussion, in which case, I'll need Triage to look at you."

"Just let me sit," said Lara. "I'll be fine. Stop worrying about me."

Logan walked in, looking angry, followed by Brute, his gang, and the professor. Lara smiled and weakly waved at them. Brute just walked up to her and mumbled that he was sorry, and Lara said that it was no big deal.

"Professor," said Lara, trying to sound like Scott as a leader, "when are the next set of tryouts for the X-Twos? Bruce and Willow would like to take the test, and their abilities would be useful."

"That depends on your team," said Charles. "And your mentor. You all know Mr. Logan as a teacher for wilderness survival training, but he is also the one you will be answering to while training to become part of the X-Twos."

"That's right, kiddies," said Logan, sounding more like it was an annoyance but that he was still going to take his job seriously. "As far as I'm concerned, you are so far from being X-Men that it's more of a pipe dream than a possibility."

"Logan…" said Scott.

"I'm not going to baby her and her team just because you see her as a sister," said Logan. "She will get no favors from me."

"What are you saying?" asked Scott, clutching his fists.

"I'm saying you treat her special when no one else does. You can't just open doors for her."

"I don't treat her differently!" Scott yelled, causing Jean to get ready to hold the two men back.

"Stop, Scott," said Lara. "That doesn't matter right now. Don't get your butt kicked in front of Jean. She may run off with someone else."

Scott chuckled and gently ruffled Lara's hair as he said, "Okay, kiddo."

"So kawaii!" said Mai. "Sensei Summer is Lara's oniichan and Lara is Sensei Summer's imōto!"

"Translation?" asked Logan.

"Sensei Logan, Sensei Summer is the big brother and Lara is the little sister," said Mai. "They are so cute!" Lara and Scott blushed, causing Mai to continue. "They even react the same! If I didn't know them, I'd totally think they are real siblings!"

"Mai!" said Lara, trying to sit up.

Jean and Triage walked in as Lara fell back, dizzy again. Jean got the x-ray machine and told everyone to leave. Triage looked at the images with a bit of annoyance.

"Well, it's just a small concussion," said a gangly looking man. "Prof. X said someone was injured but I didn't expect such a minor injury."

"Lala is like family to me," said Jean. "Triage, do you think you can help her?"

"Of course I can," he said. "A little concussion won't stop me. Let me see the x-rays." He looked over them, Lara trying to follow him without moving her head. "I see. It's only minor. Let's get to work."

He touched her face gently. Lara felt a comforting kind of warmth spread through her head and the dizziness began fading. She also watched as the swelling around her eye lessened.

"There," said Triage. "All done. Now, instead of getting in front of the punch, just block it with a forcefield."

"I'll remember that for next time," said Lara as she sat up. "Thanks for healing me."

"What kind of idiot plans on getting hit?" Triage asked. "Am I going to have to treat you like Logan, and keep a bed open for you?"

"Bruce isn't the only bully in school," Lara pointed out as she stood up. "Not only that, I'm training to be part of the X-Twos. Injuries are to be expected."

"I see you and Logan will be keeping me busy," said Triage. "Look, don't place yourself in danger if you can help it. The X-Men already come in too often with injuries, and I'm starting to get desensitized."

"I'll try," said Lara. "Can I go to the Danger Room for training now?"

"I suppose," said Jean, trying to wrap her arm around Lara to help her walk. "I'd rather you rest until tomorrow."

"I'm not a baby," said Lara, shaking Jean off, upset. "This is why everyone thinks I'm getting handouts! You and Scott treat me like I'm a little kid!"

"I didn't mean…" Jean started.

"I know Uncle Charles wouldn't have let me on the team if I couldn't handle myself," said Lara as Scott came in. "Bruce and Jake were arguing over my place on the team. I have to prove that I earned this spot, not just handed the title of an X-Man."

"Is that what people are saying?" asked Scott as he came back in.

"Hai," said Mai. "We saw her in action and know that's not the truth, but Bruce, Willow, and everyone else is saying she's the professor's niece, so he gave her the spot."

"And her natural sense of responsibility means she didn't want Jake hurt because of her," said Charles, following the group. "We need to…"

"Let me deal with it," said Lara. "It's fine. Really. If none of us were mutants, and this a normal school, the same rumors and bullying would be happening if I joined a sports team or a club. It just happens."

"If you think you and your team can handle it," said Charles with a nod.

"It will be practice for dealing with humans," said Lara. "No fighting, no confrontation, and no powers unless on missions, and only then if absolutely necessary, like for protection or self-defense."

"You can't be serious!" Mai and Jake said together.

"We can't attack humans because they pick on us," said Charles. "I agree that it is good practice, but bullying will not be tolerated, no matter what. We will at least stop that."

"Thank you, Uncle Charles," said Lara.

"And you are to rest, Lara," the professor continued. "A concussion, no matter if it is healed or how small it is, is still worrisome. Your team will learn about what to do if their leader is knocked out and unable to give orders."

"But…" Lara began.

"This is an important lesson," said Charles. "As the leader, you won't always be around. This is to see where everyone ranks in your team."

"Blake is obviously the weak link," said Bruce in a snide tone. "He doesn't even step up to do chores."

"Now is not the time, bub," said Logan.

"What am I supposed to do?" asked Lara.

"Read a book, homework, sleep," said an envious Jake. "It will be fine, Lara."

"Nothing to worry about," said Mai, patting her teammate's hand.

"Tomorrow, you will get to join us and it will be all better," said Blake, a worried smile on his face.

"Um… okay, if you guys say so," said Lara. "I guess I'll go read."

"Good," said Scott. "But, if you want, you can read a book on strategies."

"No," said Lara, not looking at anyone as she made her way to the door. "I think I'll read something else."

She left the room and went to the library. She didn't want strategies, or battling, or anything like that. She wanted to find a book on building up mental power. She spent most of the night searching but soon had to give up. She waited for Mai to return, but passed out before her roommate limped into the room.

* * *

**With this new set of rumors surrounding Lara, it seems that she has found an enemy that will never leave her, even at the X-Mansion.**


	4. Without Lara

**This chapter is about what happened that caused Mai to limp back to the room. It also reveals some back story on Jake, Blake, and Mai, as well as a surprise.**

* * *

Jake, Mai, and Blake followed Scott to the Danger Room. Brute was stopped from following them, but he argued with Logan that the team needed a replacement for Lara.

"Come on, I can lead better than her!" Brute kept saying to the professor. "Why can't I just…"

"This isn't about your leadership skills," said Charles. "This is about your methods. This test is more than just going without their leader. They have to learn that themselves."

Jake and Mai looked at each other. Neither was suited to be a leader, and Blake wouldn't move unless given an order. That confused the both of them.

"So, other than knowing your families are criminals, I don't know anything about you two," said Jake. "Before we go into this thing, Let's get to know each other."

"Don't you think we should wait for Lara?" asked Blake. "This is stuff she should know, right?"

"I think she's just happy knowing that we don't judge her based on who her dad is," said Mai, "or how she basically grew up at the X-Mansion with the X-Men. We can tell her some other time."

"We can share a little now and the rest later," said Jake, sounding hasty. "That way, Lara isn't left out, but we can all bond."

"Okay," said Mai, suspicious as to Jake's motives.

"Wait here for a bit," said Scott. "I need to change the scenario a bit. It won't take long."

The three of them stood in the center of the Danger Room. Mai looked at the boys, who looked back at her and at each other. She began tapping out an impatient rhythm.

Before long, she said, "Oh, fine! I'll start! My family is part of the Yakuza. A Japanese gang. They are extreme. Children are brought in and trained young. I know more ways to pick a pocket than fingers on both hands. But when my powers manifested at age thirteen, the big boss took me away from my parents and taught me how to use my powers for crime." She hugged herself. "Among other things. The Professor found me about two years later in jail and offered to pay my fine if I agreed to go to his school. I agreed, wanting away from the boss badly. He was surprised I knew how to speak broken English, but I had to learn to fool tourists. Prof. X taught me English, and I've gotten good, though I still have trouble at times with slang."

Blake put his arm around Mai and said, "My family passed on a legacy of robbery and murder. We seem cursed to kill our wives, beat our children in drunken rages, and steal to provide. I learned to obey from an early age. One day, I don't remember what age I was, I was near death with hunger. Each day had melted into each other, hunger and pain and humiliation. I must have been fairly old, but I did go to school. My father had murdered my mother while I was at school one day and hid her body. She didn't have friends or family and she didn't go out, so no one but me missed her. Anyway, I was starving and I knew the kitchen was above me. I thought I was hallucinating due to starvation, but I saw my arm reach to the ceiling and through a hole there. I knew where the fridge was and grabbed at it. Within minutes, had had food. I got a major beating, but was quickly saved when DFS was called on my dad and I was taken from him. Prof. X took me in as a student after finding a mutant family to foster me, with Jean acting like a therapist. My new family is great, but you can't change what you had to do to survive so easily. Lucky for me, I'll be breaking the family cycle."

The two of them looked a Jake, who sighed and said, "Family sent me to a prestigious school. My mom is an actress and my dad is her agent. Been like that from the beginning. When I was born, my life was chosen for me. I became famous just because of my mother, but I have the talent to sing that is all my own. I became famous at a young age. My parents were so proud. Then, while rehearsing, I hit the high note of my most famous song and my wings sprouted for a second. We all thought it was someone testing the pyrotechnics. Then, in front of thousands of people, I didn't even notice that the wings had sprouted fully. The audience thought it was all part of the show, but when the concert was over, everyone dropped me, even my parents. There, watching it happen, was the professor and Cyclops. They acted like bodyguards as they walked me out. I finally got to taste a normal, simple life, but only my family knows what I am now. My agent and venues still hire me for gigs since the professor wiped their memories. It's fine, but I'm going to retire from that life when we…"

"You can't!" interrupted Blake. "Too many people feel your soul in your songs! You speak to mutants and humans alike! Music is music, no matter who is singing it!"

"Go for as long as you can," encouraged Mai. "You sing all the time. It makes you happy. We've seen it, even after just meeting. Lara would natural talent is even cooler than your mutant powers because you sing from the heart. Do not give it up, Jake."

"Thanks, guys," said Jake with a small smile.

"Are you guys ready?" asked Scott. "The situation was going to simply be to defeat the test simulation, but now, in this, Lara has been knocked out. She is in danger and vulnerable. You must not only protect her, but retrieve the disc from the Sentinel's head. Get both Lara and the disc to the X-Jet. There is no time limit, but if Lara is destroyed, or the disc destroyed, you will have failed. Begin."

The familiar test grew around them. The Lara hologram lay on the ground before them, looking injured from flying debris and blood slowly pooling around her. Blake seemed to not see the blood but looked at the others, waiting on the plan. Mai looked at Jake.

"Can you keep that thing busy while I make a dome to go over her?" Mai asked. "I'll make it so that she can breathe still, but be well protected. If the Sentinel gets to her, it will lift the dome and get her, but the debris won't do more damage."

"Sure," said Jake. "I'll stay out of reach this time. Stretch, try to avoid debris if you can. Bring the Sentinel down. Once you do, bind its hands so it can't use them. Mai, when Dream is covered, wait for an opening and start working your way to its head and get the disk."

"Got it," they said.

Jake produced his wings and flew into the air, taunting the Sentinel. Mai built a small shelter as Blake ran. With the shelter built, all three of them felt that the plan was going well.

Then, the Sentinel began firing at them. It knocked the shelter from Lara, causing Mai to have to replace it. In holding it, a large rock his her ankle. Flare managed to get caught again, and looked for a way out. Stretch eventually managed to get the Sentinel to the ground but didn't want to trap Jake in the Sentinel's hands and hesitated. Because of this, it threw Jake, pinned Stretch down, knocked Mai and the shelter away from the Lara hologram, and grabbed her.

Jake looked up and his heart was in his throat. He tried to put on a burst of speed but was far too slow. The Sentinel used high-intensity lasers on the Lara hologram, burning it to ashes. Stretch stared in shock, not sure what just happened. Mai screamed, the horror of what happened getting to her. Jake not only fell from the sky to his knees, but yelled in defiance. His wings became larger than he had ever produced naturally. The simulation disappeared. Scott got Mai and Blake out of the Danger Room while Logan unleashed his adamantium claws.

"Calm down, bub," said Logan. "This is not the time to harm your team over a simulation."

Jake, said Charles in the young man's head, Lara is safe, looking around the library right now. It was too soon for you to see something like that.

Jake looked at the professor, terror in his eyes, along with pain and confusion. Logan's claws retracted at the same rate Jake's wings extinguished. After about ten minutes of the professor talking to him and Logan standing guard over the professor, Jake was kneeling, tears falling.

"Logan, take Mr. Ashton to his room," said Charles. "He needs time alone while his teammates talk with Jean.

"Sure," said Logan, helping Jake to his feet and leading him down the hall. When they were alone, he asked, "When did you start falling for her?"

"When she got here," Jake admitted. "I watched her walk down the hall to an empty room. She seemed so alone, yet everything about her appealed to me. I don't know much about her other than rumors, but that didn't stop me from looking from afar."

"She's not with anyone," said Logan. "At least you have a chance of getting your girl."

"Cyclops said you were trying to steal Jean from him. Is that true?"

"Scott likes to imagine things." He looked out of the corner of his eye as he walked past the examination room observation window, where Jean was helping Triage determine the extent of Mai and Blake's injuries. "Just know that if you don't go for it now, you will regret it later."

"So, you do like Jean, but she turned you down because she loves Scott."

"We aren't friends, kid. I'm just sayin', if you like the girl, let her know. She will either accept you or not. You'll never know if you don't ask."

"I can't… I can't touch her."

"Why not?"

"You saw what happened when I got upset. I could… I could hurt her. I don't even know if that extends to the rest of my skin, in that state."

"Bub, your clothes are intact. Your file even said that your suit is heat resistant, though you don't burn normal clothes outside of where your wings emerge, even when angry."

"I also told the team I'm afraid of germs, afraid of what I would do."

"Kid, living a lie will only cause both of you more pain. Jean knows how I feel, and that's enough."

"I… I'll keep that in mind. Thanks."

"Don't thank me until you get the girl. Because it's going to be a long road until you actually get to hold her in your arms."

They arrived at the dorm room and Jake said, "Thanks for the talk, Mr. Logan."

"Just call me Logan," he said. "And that simulation… that's the nicest thing those machines do. They take mutants to be dissected. We never thought you kids would react like that."

"We may be juniors in high school, but we are still kids," Jake said, going into his room. "We have never seen someone we care about get disintegrated. It was a shock. The hologram so real."

"It has to be. It is to give you a sense that you are really in the scenario. If it was anything but realistic, you would never be ready for a real battle."

"I know. That doesn't mean it didn't feel real."

"I know. I've been in that thing and had to suffer through losing Jean and the professor several times. I still have times when I lose control and go feral." He put his hand on Jake's shoulder. "Exercises when a team member can't be present, they often have a chance of being a victim if we don't act fast enough, and times even when we are. This is to train you to keep going until the mission is finished, and mourn the fallen after."

"That's not an easy thing to ask of us kids," said Jake after a moment.

"No, but it saves more lives, including yours," said Logan, turning away from Jake. "That's why I put that in there."

Jake launched himself at Logan who shut the door. Jake hit the door, banging on it with all his might as Logan held it shut. Charles came up behind him.

"He didn't appreciate my little test," said Logan.

"Neither did the other two," replied the professor. "Blake looked at the ground, going into himself, and Mai walked off. She is in her room at this moment, just looking at Lara as she sleeps. It was too soon for them to have gone through this."

"They have to be able to finish the mission, despite losing people. The earlier they get started on that training, the better."

"You are always charging forward, my friend, but you rarely stop to see what is around you. They are children, and rushing them will not get you back to the wilderness faster, but keep you here longer. While I do not oppose this, these children should not be punished because you already want to leave."

"Fine, Charles, but if they start slacking, I'll kick them off of the Beta Team. I won't throw punches."

"We will need the X-Twos soon, yes, but not at the expense of their mental health."

"I guess you can remove the memory."

"Mai has a strong shield in her mind due to her abilities. If I remove the memories, she could begin to think she is losing her mind, and that would not be good either. We must leave the memory. They will cope in their own ways." Blake turned a corner and began walking towards them. "How are you feeling, Mr. Longfellow."

"Professor, I've come to a conclusion," Blake answered.

"What would that be?"

"Jake and Mai have not seen the things I had, the way of losing a loved one in front of you can affect your mind."

"That is true. You seem to be coping rather well."

"Jake and Mai have bonded to Lara rather fast. Too fast, considering their histories. It hit them harder than it did me. I want to help them overcome this." Blake looked at Logan. "Jean told us you performed the test. I just finished visiting Mai, who finally left Lara's side, satisfied that it was all fake. But Jake…"

"Is a boy in love," finished Charles. "He will have a much harder time. But the truth always comes out, as it has a habit of doing. Take as much time as your team needs."

"Thank you, professor," said Blake.

Logan opened the door. Blake walked into Jake on his bed, having given up on breaking down the door. Blake said Lara was fine in her room, and that training in the Danger Room had been canceled for a while. Then, he said something that surprised everyone but Charles.

"This weekend, Mr. Logan is taking us all on a camping trip," said Blake. "He loves nature, and maybe being out of the mansion for a while will be good for everyone. We can tell Lara everything, and we can get closer as a team."

"Sure," said Jake, looking back at Logan with anger burning in his eyes. "Real bonding time."


	5. Camping Troubles

"Alright," said Logan. "We will be camping here."

"About time," said Jake. "We have been riding for an hour."

Not that Jake was really complaining. He had Lara holding onto him tightly, face buried into his back as the four-wheeler made its way through the forest. She seemed to be afraid of being on the thing, worrying about flipping, crashing, and getting hurt or worse. But the way she held him sent Jake's heart pounding. He wanted her to grip him like that for a different reason, but he would settle for this.

"I-it's over?" Lara asked, looking up.

"You don't mind off-roading in a jeep, but four-wheelers bother you?" asked Blake. "Mai was practically doing acrobatics this whole tie."

"_Hai_," agreed Mai. "I had fun. It reminded me of a roller coaster."

"I don't like roller coasters," said Lara.

"Why not?" asked Blake

"It's the strangest thing," Lara said, everything in her shaking as she got off the off-road vehicle. "I'm scared of heights, but only if there aren't four walls around me. And the exception to that is looking down stairwells."

"Oh," said Jake, the idea of taking her on a date and flying around the sky disappearing.

"That doesn't stop me from wanting to fly, though," said Lara, seeing Jake's face. "I've read the Harry Potter Series and wanted to fly like that since I was a kid."

She picked up her bag and several books fell out. Lara exclaimed and tried to pick them up, but Jake and Mai got to her to help. A deep blush seemed to cover her ears.

"_Dark Prince_?" Mai asked, then smiling. "I see. You are a _Dark Series_ fan. You want to do more than 'fly on someone's broomstick'."

Lara snatched her books up and put them in her bag, grabbing her wheeled suitcase and tent, and going off to set up the girl's tent.

"I don't see what's so wrong," said Mai as she and Jake stood up. "So she likes romance novels that show how the couples…"

"Enough, Mai," said Blake. "Lara is embarrassed. She doesn't need you pointing out her secret love for the books." He then came up to Jake and Mai. "You two need to tone it down. Mai, humor is fine, but picking on Lara isn't. Jake, if you look any goofier, you'd look like a clown."

"He's just imagining everything I just said," said Mai, then turned to Lara and said, "Hey, Lara, can Jake borrow _Dark Prince_? He's curious about it."

Lara looked at Jake, her eyes glittering from unfallen tears and excitement. She stood up and, carrying her book, took it to Jake. He noticed that the book looked warn, repaired with tape in places. He gulped, thinking about the book.

"Take care of it," she said. "I've read it so many times, it's practically falling apart."

"Why don't you use your powers to repair it?" asked Mai.

"There is something special about physical books," Lara explained. "The feel of the paper, the smell, the uniqueness when repaired by hand, it all makes each book special to their owner. While ebooks are fine and easy to port, they don't have the same feeling to them. If I used my powers, it would always be like every other new copy out there, and it wouldn't be the same. So, like all my books, I repair it with tape by hand."

"That's awesome," said Jake. "Despite having a way to easily fix your stuff, you like to make it unique to who you are."

"Um… thanks," said Lara, raising an eyebrow.

Jake took the book and Lara walked away with Mai. Jake sighed. Blake laughed and they walked to where their tent would be set up.

"Dude, that was the worse train wreck I've ever witnessed," Blake said. "That was your pick up line?"

"No," said Jake, trying to hide their conversation. "I said the first thing that came to mind. I really messed up."

"You're also messing up our tent. The girls are already done. Haven't you ever camped before?"

"Do motels count?"

"You can't be serious!"

"Keep your voice down!" Jake watched the girls walk away. "No, I've never been camping. I'm a pampered pop star, remember? Nature is foreign to me. Motels were the closest I've ever actually come to camping, alright?"

"This is going to be rough on you, man. You should have said something."

"Why? When you told the girls, Lara was so excited, and I've always wanted to experience a real camping trip, so I had no real reason to say no. I need to look cool, Blake."

"Look, I know seeing the hologram…"

"This isn't about that stupid hologram!" Blake gave Jake a suspicious look, and Logan shook his head. "Okay, maybe it is a little, but it's also because I like Lara!"

"Then just be a man and ask her out," said Logan. "You aren't the same child singer you were when your powers awoke."

"Are you making fun of me?" Jake asked their mentor.

"No, just giving out some advice."

* * *

Lara and Mai went to the nearby stream to swim. Mai was not afraid to show off her body in her crimson bikini, but Lara kept her shirt covering up her baby blue one-piece swimsuit. They went to a rock and Lara was getting ready to jump in when Mai stopped her.

"Lara, about the simulation," Mai began.

"Just telling me about it on the drive to the trail was enough to tell me everything," Lara said. "I would have acted the same way. Though, Jake's reaction is a bit over the top, don't you think?"

"Nope," said Mai, then she noticed something in the water. "Hey, is that a guy?"

Lara jumped in, nut Mai stayed on the shore, the fear of drowning filling her and it didn't help that the person didn't seem to be moving in the water. They just went with the current, as if they were knocked out or worse. It turned out to be a man, who looked as if he had been in a fight, one he had not won. Lara noticed that he was facing up, which had to be a good sign because if he were knocked out or dead, he would have been facing down. The girls took him to the shore. Lara took her shirt off to act as a pillow, even if it was soaked. She then put her ear to his chest. _Thank goodness_, she thought to herself, _his heartbeat is strong._ She put her hand under his nose. _And he's breathing. His wounds, though..._

"Mai, go get Logan," Lara said. "This man needs first aid."

"What about you?" asked Mai.

"I'm going to stay here," said Lara. "If anyone followed him down the river, I can at least keep them distracted until you bring everyone else."

"If you think so," said Mai, worried, before running back to the camp.

Lara used her ability to carefully remove the man's shirt, intending on examining him. However, all good intent disappeared as she looked at him. His skin was a perfect tan, his body toned, his muscles well defined, and his dark hair reached his shoulders. Lara gulped. This man could have been the inspiration for Renaissance artists, with his full lips and Roman nose and strong jawline. Just as she went to move a stray hair from his face, he grabbed Lara's wrist. She tried to pull away, but he was strong. She couldn't say he hurt her, but that his grip on her made it almost impossible to get out of his grasp. But she didn't know if he was a human or a mutant.

"Where am I?" he asked in a rush. "Are they still after me?"

"No one is after you," said Lara. "You came floating down the river. Don't move. I don't know how injured you are and it could be dangerous if you move around too much. Just talk. Who was after you and why?"

"Some mutants," he said. "They said I was a mutant too but didn't realize it. I tried to protect my family, but…" He closed his eyes. "My family took me camping for my birthday since it's my last year of high school. They took my little sister, in case she had latent powers, they… my parents are…. If I hadn't asked for this trip, my family…"

"Don't say that," said Lara, cupping his cheek and causing him to open his deep, sea-blue eyes. "The mutants that took your sister and hurt your family, they did this. You did nothing wrong."

"Who are you?" he asked, cupping her cheek in return. "An angle?"

"No," she giggled. "I'm Lara, from the Xavier Institute."

"Oliver," he said. "But everyone calls me Ollie."

"Ollie, my friends are coming with our teacher," said Lara. "We will get you some help. Don't worry."

"School trip?" he asked.

"Um…" she said, looking away from him, "more like a bonding trip. Some of my friends had a traumatic incident happen recently, and this is to get them out so that they feel better."

"I see," he said

She looked back at him and realized that she was closer to him than before, so close that their noses were almost touching. Before she knew what was happening, Ollie was kissing her. And she was kissing him back, a stranger. An injured stranger. She moved back quickly.

"I am so sorry!" she said. "I never do that!"

"Lara!" Jake said, running to her to protect her. "It's okay! Don't be scared!" He turned to the injured man. "Were you attacked while we were on our way here?"

"No," said Ollie.

"We are fine," said Lara. "But we need to take a look at him. He said he was attacked for possibly having powers, his sister kidnapped, and his parents taken from him." She looked at their mentor. "We must help him."

"I already called the professor," said Logan. "The jet will pick us up when it can."

Lara nodded. She put her fingers to her lips when no one was looking. Her first kiss. With a stranger. She had practically jumped him! All because he was so gorgeous! She blushed and stood up. She jumped into the water, needing to cool off.

Jake watched Lara over the heads of everyone's head. She was breathtaking. Yet, he felt something was off. He didn't know what had happened, but he intended to find out. He removed his shirt and jumped into the river after Lara.

The River was cold! He shivered. Something touched his leg, and the ground didn't feel right, almost slimy! He wanted out of the water as soon as he stepped into it, but Lara didn't look like she was happy. As much as he disliked the feel of the water, slime, or the fish nibbling at him, he hated seeing Lara upset.

"Hey," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, "you okay? I know seeing someone hurt is…"

"We kissed," she said in a whisper. "It just happened. I don't know how or why, but… everything about him drew me in and I kissed him."

"Do you know him?" Jake asked, his heart sinking.

"No, and that makes it worse," she said, looking at him. "He an injured stranger. My first kiss, too."

"First?" Jake asked, the whole moment getting worse. "Lara, it will be okay."

"No, it won't!" she yelled, moving away from Jake. "I… I need time alone, Jake. Please."

Ollie sat up, despite everyone saying to stay still, and said, "I'm fine. I should apologize to Lara."

Lara looked at him. Big mistake. With the sun setting behind him, the effect took her breath away. She felt she had seen such a being somewhere before, but her brain was shorting out. She could only stare at Ollie as he walked towards her, the water splashing his exposed chest. Lara licked her suddenly dry lips.

"_Excusez mon comportement_," Ollie said, his French origins showing as he led Lara to the shore. "I seem to have made you uncomfortable by my actions. My mother, a special person, told me her secret. She could see the future and told me of the woman who would complete me. She was a mutant. She knew this day would come, and did not try to stop it." He pulled Lara to him. "She told about you. And I cannot deny, I am drawn to you like a magnet. _Une_ _belle fleur_, a beautiful flower."

He kissed her again, deep and hard. Lara met his kiss. She knew nothing about Ollie, but it felt right to her. Jake, who had followed the two out of the water, was fuming. Logan put his hand on the boy's shoulder. Jake looked up, and realized that he and his mentor shared something: the woman they loved did not love them back.

"Lara!" Mai said from the shore. "Come on! Do you know anything about him?"

Lara pulled back and said, "He's a telepath."

Ollie nodded, saying, "Lara knows me now. And if she is willing, I would like to take her on a date."

Before Lara could answer, thunder sounded.

"Get back to the camp," Logan ordered. "We need to break it down and find a safer place. We aren't going to be leaving tonight with this storm coming. There should be a cave not far from the camp. We are heading there."

Everyone set out. Much to Jake's displeasure, Ollie kept hold of Lara's hand. _This isn't right_, he thought to himself. _There is no way this guy is that perfect, to sway Lara in seconds. I'm going to have to keep an eye on him_. Logan stopped Jake from following for a moment alone.

"I know," said Logan. "You hurt seeing them. But that was too fast. Don't let your guard down, Jake. I'll radio Scott and tell him about this. Prepare for the boy scout to back you up. Lara is like his little sister, after all."

Jake nodded and they got to the camp. Ollie had the tents floating and getting them squared away for transport. The rest of the weekend was stormy and wet. It wasn't until the following Monday that they all returned to the Mansion. It was the worse two days of Jake's life and the two happiest days of Lara's.


End file.
